The Healthcare Disease after Heart Disease

NOTE: I just wanted to say, to those of you who have donated money to help this family out this week, from them and myself, Thank You So Much!

A very good friend of mine recently had a serious scare in his life. He almost lost the person closest to him in his life, aside from his daughter, that is.

I've known him since I was having trouble in my own life back in 1992 around the time we first met. He was the nicest guy in the world and working at a local establishment that has a fond spot in my heart. A local brew pub called The Big Time Ale House on the "Ave" in the "U District" in Seattle. My marriage was disintegrating around me. I had a four year old boy. I had bills. I ended up living in a house where I rented a room from the woman who was leasing the house. It was a sad period in my life.

At one point, I was working two full time jobs so that I could get enough money to buy my son a Christmas present. I had been eating top ramen for my one meal per day. I got a second job at a bakery making Pasty's. I was working for a Ex Pat Brit who also ran a Pub on the "Ave" called The Unicorn. During this time I was hanging with this friend in my off time when he was available. A bright light in an otherwise dark period.

Then he moved to California for a while and we lost touch. After a whille he moved up to Portland and eventually got married and had a daughter, Mollie. Recently his wife, had a medical scare and we were quite worried but she came through it. They came through it, but as our health care is in America (and don't get me started on that topic), they are now left with bills from it.

They are good people, they are hard working, small business people. The started a business last year cleaning houses. The two of them. Now, just he can do it. They got their dream started up, things were going well, then this happened. To me, they are the cream of America, and they need help.

If you've ever had a medical condition and came through it, but were left with large bills from it, then you know that the bills can be almost as devestating emotionally, as the original condition that almost killed you. I never understood that about healthcare. "Great, I survived, but the stress is killing me anyway and I may have a heart attack just from that!"

The other day, on her own, their daughter Mollie put up a donations page. They didn't ask for it. She just wanted to do something to help. So I figured that the least I could do, after donating what I could, was to give others the opportunity to help too. If everyone that reads my blog were to donate $10, just $10, it would pay off their medical bills.

So, please, consider it.

All I want to do now is to post their daughter's words from her donations page and, if you feel moved, please help them out with anything. $20? $10? Even $5 would help, if enough people donated.

So here she is and thank you for your time and consideration. This isn't something you will ever see me do very often.

My name is Mollie and I am 18 years old. On December 26, my mom began experiencing severe chest pains. I called 911, not knowing what was really happening as they drove her to the nearest hospital. The next day, after testing, doctors informed us that she had a minor heart attack and needed to be moved to a bigger hospital where she could have her Angiogram. A few days later the heart surgeon suggested a triple bypass as her best option. For a diabetic with heart disease and three stints put in 11 years ago, he believed that bypass surgery would be the most beneficial to her. We were all scared, but we encouraged her to go through with the surgery.

December 31 my mother had her surgery. After many anxious hours I got word that all went well, though she ended up needing a quadruple bypass instead of a triple. January 5, 2013 my mom came home. Though she is getting better every day, she is still in the process of recovering. 

My parents own a house cleaning business; however, since my mother will be out of work for up to four months my dad has completely taken over, while I stay at home. I am a full time college student, while also taking care of my mom in her recovery. 

With a huge amount of hospital bills, regular expenses, the cost of medication, and daily needs, we are very tight on money. We understand everyone is going through hard times right now, so any amount will help. Thank you for listening to our story and support my family in this difficult time. God bless.

So, that was Mollie. Thank you for your time.

Here is the link to the donations page.

SuperStorm Sandy - The Healing, The Giving Begins

[Update] This is from our friend, the brilliant and beautiful (and sexy) Courtney Zito ("Hollywood Girl"):
"I called to verify this number before posting. Its legit. If you have lost power & your food has gone bad FEMA is issuing $200 checks for food. The number is 800-621-3362. If you are able to get online on your phone you can also go to the website to file for help at www.disasterassistance.gov 
God Bless. ♥"
If you need help, call!

[Update] How to help, from TED.

Usually we have been told as Governor Mitt Romney had mistakenly said yesterday, that we need to donate food, clothing, etc. Traditionally that's how we understood was the way to help. We are all learning that is not the case.

Actually... the Red Cross is asking us to please not donate solid goods. Instead please donate your money, so that they will not have to pay the costs of planning for the logistics to transport food and goods, to sort all the clothing, and waste the time it takes to transport all these solid goods across the country rather than simply being sent the money that they can simply transfer these sorely needed resources with the click of a button; so that suddenly the goods will be available in those desperately needed areas; so that the food and clothing can move quickly to the areas where people are homeless, hungry and cold.

Wow, that was a mouthful. But I'm in a hurry and the people waiting on these resources are cold and hungry and traumatized. They need help now!

Reports now are that within days there will be yet another storm to hit the area with winds up to 50 miles per hour and temperatures down to near freezing levels. American citizens need help now, ASAP.

If you would like to, if you can donate, please call 1800-red-cross, text redcross to 90999 or, go to http://redcross.org/ and donate on their web site. I just made my donation thought their web site. Took about a minute.

Katrina was bad for New Orleans and so much of the US Gulf coast. The tsunami in Japan was massive devastation. Now we have our entire northeastern coast ravaged, with some of our oldest historic landmarks and structures, with so many people displaced or hurting, that we have to yet again offer what we can to help those who are now in dire need of this help.

No one is asking for anything that will cause you or your family pain, but so many others now are in pain, simply do what you can. That is all anyone can ask. And if you can do more, please consider doing it.

Thank you so much for your time.

PS Not to take away from our own disasters, but Fareed Zakaria has a point in hosting an article on his site by John Campbell, CFR about the current flooding in Africa:

Why is Western media ignoring Nigeria flooding?

John Campbell, CFR is former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria and Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.